Whether it’s a casual conversation among friends or meeting patients or their families, we often hear the inescapable complaint: “As long as one person in the family is sick, the whole family is in chaos. Because not only to accompany the patient, but also to buy, wash, burn, prepare some “nutritious soup” to the patient’s body, more distressing is to know what to give the patient to eat. The result is that the family has tried to do everything possible, but the expected results are not achieved. When friends and relatives visit the patient, they often pick high priced, popular supplements or health products. They think that this is the only way to show their concern, sincerity and the value of the “tonic”. As for the patients, some believe that “medicine is better than food” and drink chicken soup, fish soup and turtle soup in different ways; some have heard that eating sweets after surgery will cause flatulence. So they only eat light and salty food. In fact, the above practices and ideas are biased. Although chicken soup and duck and fish soup taste good, they do not provide comprehensive nutrition; high-priced health products do not necessarily represent high value and are not suitable for all surgical patients; if you eat only light and salty food, you cannot get enough calories; you hope to save, but you may suffer from malnutrition and reduced resistance to disease due to insufficient protein and calorie intake, and even have complications as a result, which will slow down the recovery process and increase unnecessary expenses. As you can see, before and after surgery, patients should be aware of their disease and fully understand the role of diet therapy in it. It is better to consult or follow the guidance of a dietitian or doctor than to listen to hearsay. Pre-operative Gastrointestinal disorders should be treated with a liquid diet with little or no residue 1-3 days before surgery to reduce residues in the intestine. If you drink only homemade soup or common health products, it will lead to protein and calorie deficiency. The hospital dietitian should calculate the nutritional needs reasonably according to the weight and condition, and provide suitable liquid nutritional diet or choose medical special formula diet, etc. The formula meal with less residue or even without residue can provide comprehensive and balanced nutrients without affecting the intestinal preparation of the patient before surgery. Postoperative After a large gastrointestinal surgery, the patient will need 3-4 days for anal venting because of the gastrointestinal anastomosis and intestinal function recovery problems. It takes 3-4 days for the anus to vent before a small amount of water and liquid diet can be introduced. Then gradually transition to semi-liquid diet and normal diet. To facilitate recovery from the disease, enteral nutrition is now advocated. To achieve this goal, the above-mentioned medical formula or homogeneous diet made by the hospital’s nutrition department can be provided through a nasogastric or nasoenteric tube, or a gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube placed at the time of surgery. Patients with diabetes mellitus or elevated blood glucose after surgery can choose a diabetic-friendly formula under the guidance of a dietitian or doctor. If the patient has high blood lipids, he should use a formula with low fat content and reasonable fatty acid ratios. Home-made soups should only be enjoyed as a seasoning.